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Final action on National Defense Authorization Act paves way for construction, also includes Nelson’s benchmarks on transition in Afghanistan and elevation of the National Guard
December 15, 2011 – Today, the Senate gave final congressional approval for the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes full authorization of a new headquarters for U.S. Strategic Command that Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson fought for to replace an outdated facility built in 1957.
“This is a big victory for Nebraska and for America’s national security,” said Senator Nelson who chairs the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee that oversees STRATCOM. “This project will create jobs building a high-tech command center for America’s nuclear and non-nuclear forces, and protect us from the emerging threat of cyber-warfare.”
At a Senate hearing on March 29, 2011, STRATCOM Commander Robert Kehler testified that the current facility strains “to support numerous computer and communications systems, and has experienced serious heating and cooling problems, electrical failures and other outages.”
He called it “antiquated” and unable to support STRATCOM’s current missions, and described the role a new headquarters would fulfill when complete.
“When we look at building a new building, I think that that's not an adequate way to describe this…What we are actually creating here, though, is a command and control node, a nuclear command and control node, a planning center that has unique capabilities for -- for global planning requirements that has to be housed in a facility that can support that,” Kehler testified.
The National Defense Authorization Act sets America’s military and national defense priorities. A defense authorization bill has been passed by the Senate every year since 1961. The House has already approved the 2012 bill, so with the Senate’s action today, it now goes to the President to be signed into law.
The defense bill also includes:
- Legislation Nelson wrote to require the Administration to set benchmarks evaluating progress toward the goal of transitioning security responsibilities to the Government of Afghanistan by December 31, 2014, and
- Legislation Nelson co-sponsored to elevate the Chief of the National Guard to membership in the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, putting the Guard on equal status as the four branches of the military.
“As we move toward the 2014 goal of the Afghan government assuming responsibility for all military operations in Afghanistan, benchmarks are needed to measure whether we’re on the right path or if we need to make corrections to meet the 2014 goals,” Nelson said. “Benchmarks will help assess progress toward the 2014 goal.”
Specifically, Nelson’s legislation provides for the establishment of new transition benchmarks and updates on those benchmarks to be included in the semi-annual reports to Congress on progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan, which are already produced.
Nelson has advocated and authored previous requirements for benchmarks in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The new benchmarks are to focus on the transition to Afghan forces leading security operations in that country.
Elevating the National Guard also will improve national security.
“The Guard deserves a seat at the table with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure its 500,000 members receive the training, resources and equipment to fulfill their unique state and federal responsibilities,” Nelson said. “This comes down to making sure the Guard has a seat at the table and an equal voice in the room when decisions are made that affect protecting us in our home towns and abroad,” said Nelson.
For years, the National Guard served as a “strategic reserve” force to the active duty force. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Guard has become an “operational reserve” that has deployed in regular rotation with the active duty and reserve forces.
As Strategic Forces Subcommittee chairman, Nelson was responsible for overseeing the portion of the Senate’s Defense Authorization bill dealing with strategic defense, including STRATCOM. He has worked for several years with the Pentagon, STRATCOM officials, and people in the Omaha and Bellevue communities to make sure that STRATCOM’s needs are addressed.
The four-year construction of the new headquarters, set to begin in 2012, will provide 400 jobs, with an additional 100 jobs associated with support efforts, according to the Air Force.
“These jobs will be good for Nebraska’s economy, our communities, many small businesses, and hundreds of Nebraska families,” Nelson said. “Moreover, today STRATCOM’s operations support 1,689 civilian and military jobs. They are expected to grow once the new headquarters is complete, as STRATCOM meets its varied 21st Century mission.”
U.S. Strategic Command is one of ten U.S. unified commands under the Department of Defense. DOD defines STRATCOM’s mission as promoting global security for America by:
- Deterring attacks on U.S. vital interests and defending the nation, should deterrence fail
- Leading, planning, and executing strategic deterrence operations
- Ensuring U.S. freedom of action in space and cyberspace
- Delivering integrated kinetic and non-kinetic effects in support of U.S. Joint Force Commanders
- Synchronizing global missile defense plans and operations
- Synchronizing regional combating of weapons of mass destruction plans
STRATCOM's existing headquarters was built in 1957 and has weathered the five decades with little renovation.
Nelson took the first step toward addressing STRATCOM’s shortcomings by pushing for planning and design of a new headquarters in 2008. Upon completion of that initial phase, full authorization and funding of a new one-million-square-foot headquarters was included in the President’s budget submitted to Congress this year. Congress is now moving to make that a reality.
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